The present invention relates to packaged wipers of the type which are presaturated with a selected cleaning or disinfectant solution for cleansing a controlled environment, such as a medical facility or an industrial cleanroom.
Presaturated wipers for cleansing controlled environments have been provided in various package configurations. In one such configuration, a relatively flat container is formed of two like pieces of polymeric web material. The two pieces of material are juxtaposed to one another and joined by heat bonding about their periphery to form an interior cavity. A foldable flap is cut into one of the pieces of material to define a container opening for access to the interior cavity. A plurality of wiper cloths, saturated with the desired cleaning or disinfectant solution, are placed into the interior cavity of the container. As used herein, it is to be understood that the term "wiper cloth" refers to any suitable woven or nonwoven sheet material, whether or not the material is a textile product.
An adhesive label is situated over the foldable flap to allow selective closure of the container opening. The package may thus be opened by "peeling back" the adhesive label. An individual wiper cloth can then be removed from the package for use in cleansing a controlled environment, as desired. The package is closed by covering the container opening with the adhesive label.
In the prior art package discussed above, the top and bottom portions of the container are both formed of the same polymeric web material. This material is relatively thin, generally having a thickness of approximately 0.005 inches. As a result, the container itself tends to be relatively flexible. The flexibility of the package contributes, at least in part, to dispersion of the cleaning solution during transit. Specifically, loading of the packages in a stack for transit tends to squeeze the wiper cloths together, thus causing a relatively even dispersion of the cleaning solution.
When the number of wiper cloths in the container has not been substantially depleted, the stack of wiper cloths tends to maintain the package in a relatively rigid state. In this rigid state, the package tends to resist bending or flexing as it is opened or closed. Additionally, the package tends to remain relatively rigid as an individual wiper cloth is removed from the container opening.
When few wiper cloths remain in the package, however, they no longer substantially contribute to package rigidity. As a result, the container will tend to be pulled into a bent configuration as the adhesive label is peeled back. The container also tends to bend as individual wiper cloths are removed. Due to this bending, the package itself will become somewhat crumpled during use, thus resulting in a less than desirable seal as the adhesive label is placed over the container opening.